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Funding the Fundamental Right to a Legal Defense

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Date Issued:
2021
Abstract/Description:
The Sixth Amendment of the Constitution guarantees all United States citizens the right to a fair trial. However, that right has not been made equally accessible to all defendants in the criminal justice system due to the underfunding of Public Defender’s offices nationwide. This thesis examines the impact of this underfunding on indigent criminal defendants and analyzes social psychology research to understand the psychological biases that help explain this underfunding, and how they might be overcome. Evidence suggests that the disproportionate government expenditure on the State Attorney and underfunding of the Public Defender has led to a skewed legal system that favors not only the prosecutor, but also the white, abled, and wealthy. I argue that to support a criminal justice system that aligns with the values of equality and justice, the Public Defender must be properly funded to fulfill its adversarial role.
Title: Funding the Fundamental Right to a Legal Defense.
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Name(s): Mello, Raven, author
Tunick, Mark, Thesis advisor
Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College
Florida Atlantic University, Degree grantor
Vernon, Laura
Type of Resource: text
Genre: Thesis
Date Created: 2021
Date Issued: 2021
Publisher: Florida Atlantic University
Place of Publication: Jupiter, Florida
Physical Form: application/pdf
Extent: 68 p.
Language(s): English
Abstract/Description: The Sixth Amendment of the Constitution guarantees all United States citizens the right to a fair trial. However, that right has not been made equally accessible to all defendants in the criminal justice system due to the underfunding of Public Defender’s offices nationwide. This thesis examines the impact of this underfunding on indigent criminal defendants and analyzes social psychology research to understand the psychological biases that help explain this underfunding, and how they might be overcome. Evidence suggests that the disproportionate government expenditure on the State Attorney and underfunding of the Public Defender has led to a skewed legal system that favors not only the prosecutor, but also the white, abled, and wealthy. I argue that to support a criminal justice system that aligns with the values of equality and justice, the Public Defender must be properly funded to fulfill its adversarial role.
Identifier: FAUHT00151 (IID)
Degree granted: Thesis (B.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, 2021
Held by: Florida Atlantic University Libraries
Sublocation: Digital Library
Persistent Link to This Record: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FAUHT00151
Use and Reproduction: Copyright © is held by the author with permission granted to Florida Atlantic University to digitize, archive and distribute this item for non-profit research and educational purposes. Any reuse of this item in excess of fair use or other copyright exemptions requires permission of the copyright holder.
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Host Institution: FAU
Is Part of Series: Florida Atlantic University Digital Library Collections.

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